Bristol & Bath Regional Capital, the West of England’s first home-grown, place-based impact investor, has appointed a new chair and two new board members to support its ambitious growth. Investment industry leader Mark Mansley has joined as deputy chair and solicitor Richard Leeming as a non-executive director. Existing board member Ruth Foreman, who has...
The South West ’s strength in burgeoning sectors such as cleantech, fintech and AI (artificial intelligence) helped push up venture capital investment in the region last year by 9%, outperforming the national picture. Firms in these sectors, along with manufacturers, attracted some of the largest investments out of the annual total of £455m across 124 deals,...
A compulsory purchase order could be issued on in Bath’s King Edward’s School Building, which has been left empty for nearly four decades, under plans to revitalise the Milsom Quarter area of the city centre. The Grade II listed building on Broad Street, pictured, which dates from 1752, closed as a school in 1986....
Bath’s 2022 Christmas Market delivered a £50m-plus boost to the city’s economy – a 61% increase on the last time it was held in 2019 and making it the most successful in its 20-year history – according to latest figures. Last month official visitor statistics revealed that total footfall during the 18-day event was...
Bath-based full fibre broadband provider Truespeed has taken on a vastly experienced chief information officer to play a pivotal role in its continued growth. Robert Purdy, pictured, has a background spanning 38 years in technology and telecommunications joins from BT, where he was director of consumer IT responsible for delivering the BT, EE and Plusnet...
Setting up a business or going self-employed can give LGBT people a sense of liberation and freedom to be their authentic selves, according to research by the University of Bath. The academics, who worked on the study of small businesses with LGBT owners with the Radboud University in the Netherlands, found that negative experiences in the...
The managing partner of Bath architects Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has become a visiting professor at the School of Architecture and Environment at the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol). Geoff Rich, pictured, will work with the university to help inspire the next generation of architects, sharing his expertise through masterclasses, lectures, and...
A once-in-a-generation elite sporting event taking place in Bath this summer will offer a unique showcase for the city’s businesses. The UIPM Modern Pentathlon and Laser Run World Championships are being staged at the University of Bath in August, providing unparalleled sponsorship, hospitality and staff engagement opportunities for firms in the city. The event, which...
A business launched by two former schoolfriends from Bath has raised £1m from its first investment round to market its pioneering wearable workplace safety technology. Spacebands is on a mission to improve workplace safety by using its technology to prevent accidents, injuries and deaths in hazardous environments. Initially seeking seed investment of £600,000, it has now received £1m...
Future, the Bath-headquartered specialist global media group, has appointed a major figure in the US media sector to take over from CEO Zillah Byng-Thorne when she steps down at the end of next month. The group, which Ms Byng-Thorne has transformed from a loss-making mainly UK business into an international group worth around £2bn...
